EXCLUSIVE: Neha Dhupia credits 52 Blue director for seeing her in a different light: “I wouldn’t even be in the top 20 choices for this role! He had the option of multiple people and yet he chose me”
August will be an eventful month for Neha Dhupia. Her debut international film, 52 Blue, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Ali El Arabi, will have its grand Australian Premiere in Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the talented actress spoke about the film, the festival run and a lot more.
How important is the IFFM honour for a film like 52 Blue?
It’s very important because when you’re doing a film of this size and nature, one that is still finding its audience, you sometimes wonder whether it was the right thing to do. But then you get an opportunity to break out of the mould and present yourself in a light that nobody has ever seen you in. It’s something that I have always wanted to do.
We had the opportunity to showcase the film at the London Indian Film Festival, with one screening in London and another in Birmingham. I attended both, and the film was very well received. Hence, we are extremely excited about the Melbourne screening as well. I hope the audience enjoys what it sees.
How did you bag the film?
The makers called my manager, who informed me about the film and my part. It sounded amazing. But then the manager told me that I was on the shortlist. The hard part for an actor is that ya toh batao mat aur agar bata diya hai toh shortlist mein mat rakho (laughs). Then, I waited for a long time. Finally, 3 days before we were leaving for the shoot, I got the part!
I asked my director, Ali El Arabi, why he had chosen me for the part. I didn’t know what answer to expect. He simply said, “We had a Zoom call, and I noticed your eyes. You were looking at your children while also doing your own work. You had just finished a run and looked tired, but at the same time, you seemed happy. That’s the mother I wanted, and those were the eyes I wanted to capture on camera.” I was like, “Wow!” I had no idea that casually taking a Zoom call would leave such an impression on him.
Also, to look like an ethnic woman from Kerala is something that nobody would ever cast me as. I won’t even be in the top 20 in the shortlist! He had the option of multiple people and yet he chose me. That was really honourable for me. I really wish more and more people saw me in a different light.
What difference did you notice while shooting for your international film vis-à-vis shooting for a Bollywood film?
Here, we usually shoot during what is called the ‘golden light’. For this film, however, we shot during the ‘blue light’. As a result, our first shot would be filmed at 3:45 in the morning, which is unheard of!
There were several other interesting aspects as well. I remember the crew filming Steadicam shots while riding hoverboards. I loved how they kept everything loose and natural. It wasn’t necessary for the subject to be perfectly lit all the time. Meanwhile, the wide shots used to be super wide.
I remember one sequence where Adil Hussain, the child actor and I were on an island. There was just one house on the entire island. At one point, I looked around and wondered where the crew was. Then I looked towards the sea and saw a massive ship carrying a Jimmy Jib. I was like, “What? The entire crew is filming us from there!” Later, I told the director, “You left the three of us alone at that house on the island for the entire day.” He replied, “Yes, because I wanted it to look as though you truly belonged there.”
We cooked in earthen pots and ate fish that we had caught from the sea. It was amazing how real the entire experience had become (smiles).
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Tell us about the association of legendary footballer Lionel Messi…
The story is loosely based on a boy who dreams of meeting Lionel Messi. Interestingly, the film is being released around the time of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, though we shot it two years ago. A significant portion was filmed in real time during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and Messi was a part of it as well. All those shots are real. I don’t think the screenplay would have been affected regardless of whether Messi had won the 2022 World Cup, but his victory certainly amplified the impact of the story.
Has Lionel Messi seen the film?
I believe so. There’s a beautiful moment where he’s signing the film poster.
The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will take place in a couple of months. Are there plans to screen the film there?
I hope Indian film festivals are open to showcasing it, as I would love for the film to be screened here. I know that Ali El Arabi is keen to hold a couple of screenings in Egypt, and I sincerely hope he brings the film to MAMI as well.
Also Read: Neha Dhupia talks about 52 Blue: “It’s a deeply emotional and honest narrative”
The post EXCLUSIVE: Neha Dhupia credits 52 Blue director for seeing her in a different light: “I wouldn’t even be in the top 20 choices for this role! He had the option of multiple people and yet he chose me” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.